You're NOT My Prince Charming
by NakanoHana
Summary: Roxas and Axel now find themselves in the story of sleeping beauty, but this is hardly just another disney-esque fairytale. How does a prince rescue such a stubborn princess? And you, princess, stop kicking your little woodland animal friends!
1. Chapter 1

_This story begins as so many others do. Once upon a time, in a beautiful kingdom. _

_This particular land was small, somewhat inconsequential in the grand scheme of the world. It possessed no great army to showcase the strength of its rulers, nor was it a center of great culture and art. Merchants traveled through, each on their way to some new, great land, and would share their wealth with it, but few stopped for any great length of time. And yet the tiny kingdom prospered, and none within it harbored thoughts of misery, or war. Peasants and lords shared the cobbled streets almost gladly._

_The King of this country was a man named Cloud Leonhart Strife, a talented swordsman with a heavy conscience and a sympathetic heart. While in another time some might have considered him weak, he weighed his choices heavily, and always did his best to support the interests of the kingdom. At the moment, however, there was little call for difficult choices and solemn judgement, and his kind thoughtfulness only contributed to the land's prosperity._

_His queen was a fair-haired woman from a foreign land. Hailing from the east, Lady Stella Nox Fleuret was both beautiful and strong. She believed firmly in tradition, and of a greater purpose all men of the earth acted towards. Though they had never met before their engagement, and lived in completely separate worlds, they devoted themselves whole-heartedly to each other. After enough time with such conviction, one might say they developed feelings very akin to, possibly even equal to love. The queen strove to thoroughly support her husband in his endeavors; she was well-spoken and polite, but ever firm in resolve. _

_Together, they attended to affairs of the kingdom, and as a result of their work, everyone was happy..._

_Or, at least, most were. _

_The queen, who had been an only child, had been lavished with praise and love from her parents, and she wished that she herself could have a child to love and dot upon. It was her royal responsibility to bear her husband an heir to the throne, and she was more than happy to fulfill it. King Cloud had been born with one brother, Squall, who had caught sick and died at a tragically young age. He too longed for a child; more than an heir to his line and legacy. A young one to play with, nurture, and teach. _

_For a year, they tried, again and again, but their efforts bore no fruit. Soon the king and queen fell to quarreling, often over trivial things, each eager for anything to hide the stress this failure was bringing upon their marriage. _

_The kingdom saw no part of this; to their loyal subjects, the king and queen continued life as usual, happy and well. But in truth, as each new attempt was met with nothing, the two began to fear that they were infertile, and their sadness only grew. _

_Every night, whether together or not, they would each pray to the Gods, begging for a chance to see a child brought into the world. One who could save them from themselves, how far they had fallen, even in such a time of peace. For a long time afterward, it seemed their prayers went unanswered. No child grew in Stella's belly._

_Another year had almost gone before Queen Stella had conceived, at long last. Word of the birth spread. A miracle, the people cried! And the little kingdom rejoiced. _

_Festivals and grand celebrations were held. Visitors came from all over and rejoiced with them, and life was almost like a dream; one that, if any good soul had his way, would never end..._

_The largest, most inclusive celebration of all occurred the day that the Gods blessed the little kingdom with a little prince. His little tufts of golden hair were as light and radiant as sunshine, and his eyes were bluer than the deepest ocean, rivaling even his father's. The royal couple instantly fell in love with the boy, the newest addition to their little family, and so too did anyone who met the infant prince._

_~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ _~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ _~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ _  
><em>___

"His royal highness, King Reno Oheina Turk, and his son, Prince Axel J'Hachi Turk!"

Cloud looked up eagerly, immediately recognizing that ridiculous red hair even from where he sat, far across the room.

With a wide grin, he excused himself to his wife and rose from his throne, stepping down the two or three steps in easy stride.

"Reno, my old friend."

The foreign king returned his smile, clasping the other man in a brief hug. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Too long. You must come and sit with me." The blonde swept a hand towards his queen as she smiled and waved, seated beside to the royal cradle. "I'll have two of my finest chairs brought out."

"Don't be silly, man. This is your day to shine, not mine. I'll happily take a seat by you at the feast, if you would oblige me."

Cloud chuckled. "Of course." He then turned his attention to the young boy beside the other king.

Even at his height, barely up to Reno's waist, he was as thin as his father; his muscles wiry and lean. He also sported his father's wild red hair, though it was wilder now, spiked whereas Reno's was slicked and straight. His eyes were a deep green, unlike Reno's, and from them he could see the boy hardly interested in the party at all.

"I assume this is the young Axel you've told me so much about. How old is he now?"

"He's just about four," the older redhead said proudly, patting his son on the head with a rough, heavy hand. The boy flinched a little, glaring up at him as he tousled the hair. "Quite the handful, really. Nowhere near as mature as his brothers."

"But that's to be expected," Cloud offered. "He'll grow out of it soon. His brothers have all grown, and he's still a little boy."

"True," Reno grunted back. "But I distinctly remember his older brothers didn't fuss as much at his age. His brother Lea was chasing girls all over the place back then." They both shared a laugh, even as Axel huffed indignantly. "This little brat is a scamp, but not in the same way. He keeps telling me he thinks girls are 'icky.'"

"He'll grow out of that too, I'm sure."

"I'm not so sure on that one, Cloud. He's one stubborn little bastard, this one. I predict now it'll be the lads he fancies."

"Dad..." the boy groaned. The higher pitch of his little voice made it almost laughable, but Cloud could see that this little prince was pretty smart, and indeed stubborn for his age. He looked down at him curiously for a moment.

Sure enough, he could see that same stubbornness that Reno managed so easily. It was a proud family trait, kept alive through many long lives of men, as trademark as their blood-red hair.

Reno shrugged lazily. It was then that Cloud realized his friend had been talking, and he'd caught only the end of it.

"...No, I've had my fill of rambunctious boys. If my wife pops out any more of em, I'll start having to ditch them by the roadsides."

"DAD!"

"RENO!"

The man looked between his friend and his son. "What? It's true."

"You could have phrased that a bit more tactfully, you know." the blonde king protested, rubbing a vein that began to protrude slightly from his upper forehead.

He knew from first-hand experience visiting the Turk's kingdom that speaking openly and honestly was highly valued, and so its people were accustomed to being frank. But Reno was a particularly tough case. He was downright rude at times, and never had any qualms about it.

The man may have been well-bred as a king in his own country, but he lacked too many necessary qualities to be a foreign diplomat.

"You know, maybe this kid would be good for your son." Cloud shot him a strange look, while not far below them Axel looked like he'd just been struck across the face. "I'm just thinking about possibilities for the future. I have too many of em, I told you."

"By "good," I'm assuming you mean as a match?"

Reno had something like six children at the moment, all of them sons, and Axel was the youngest. There were too many legitimate contestants to the throne, so it was possible that some sort of violence could break out between them. The king wasn't sure, because he didn't know the boys, but he'd heard of such things happening in other kingdoms. Far too many times, as it were.

He glanced back at the cradle behind him thoughtfully. Reno's land was a good deal larger than his own, and further north, and if his son was sent here, he'd be sure to keep out of trouble in his own kingdom. The other boys would find him less of a threat, and if he stayed to rule...

But that might cause problems in his kingdom.

On the other hand, even before the marriage, it would align the two countries as strongly as trading goods, if not more so.

That was a bit of a strange thought. He had previously been so proud, thinking his own son would of course take the throne, perhaps marry a lady of the court or a foreign princess. Sora would be a good king, no question.

And yet...

The people were pretty open-minded for the most part.

But what of the lineage? Two men could rule, perhaps, but they could not give the kingdom an heir. Cloud could not stand the thought of naming a successor who was not of Strife blood. And, in the event that he could or would not choose, the land could easily fall into anarchy and quarreling.

Reno was grinning widely. Axel still looked shocked, and seemed to be trying to mouth something to his father. He probably couldn't believe the king was so calm about this. Frankly, Cloud was impressed he was still following the conversation so aptly.

"How would they have any children?"

Axel looked up at him, aghast. Reno chuckled. "You mean more possible heirs to my throne?" Cloud rolled his eyes. That would be less of a problem for Reno, especially if his first son had any children. Axel could only claim that right by waging war.

Ugh! There was so much to consider!

"Relax, I know what you mean. Well...Wouldn't fairy magics solve that?"

Cloud opened his mouth, then closed it again instantly. Most fairies throughout the lands only possessed little magicks, not something powerful enough that could make a man conceive. Others were simply rogue, but there were a few fairies who prided themselves as scholars and even priests, who prayed to the Gods and received great power through their perseverance and goodness of spirit. A few even lived in places around this small kingdom. Cloud remembered he and Stella had almost chosen to go visit them, in their desperation for a child. It was said that a few could have power enough to have a baby take, even in a barren woman. Or, if the issue rested with the man, they could remove his impotence.

Why not a man?

It was a bit of a stretch. He would need to speak with his queen and his councilors for a while before he came to any real decision.

"I would be honored to vow our children to one another, but we should discuss this more later. And very thoroughly. For now, enjoy the party. Have a drink."

Reno shrugged, gesturing for a young serving girl to fetch him one, as Cloud cast a friendly, almost sympathetic look down at his dear friend's son.

"Would you like to see the baby, Axel?"

Axel huffed, clearly pouting but not willing to make a big scene. His father must have taught him well. Either that, or he just had a heavy hand with punishment and a sadistic enjoyment of it.

The blonde king was willing to bet the latter.

"Fine."

The two men chuckled and wandered over to the thrones, the sulking boy lagging a few steps behind them. When they reached the baby, the servants stepped aside, letting the young boy get his first glance at his potential future...husband.

Sora looked up at him in childish wonderment, not afraid at all. But then, he had not yet developed his anxiety of strangers, and his newborn eyesight was only so strong. He probably couldn't even tell the boy's face apart from that of his own parents. He just blinked owlishly.

Axel looked back down, less than impressed..

"He looks funny. Like an overgrown dumpling with hair."

As if in response, the baby scrunched up his little face, then burped.

Cloud chuckled, choosing to ignore the boy's words. Axel probably wasn't thrilled about his marriage being decided so soon.

He also chose to politely ignore it when Reno smacked Axel upside the back of the head, right in the grand hall.

"Mind your manners, boy." Reno leaned over the cradle. "He's cute. Like a delicate version of Cloud. A little less feminine, though."

"Hey now..." The blonde sighed as his queen gave an airy giggle. Even Axel cracked a smile at that.

The rest of the party seemed to be flowing smoothly. There was plenty of food and drink for everyone, and seconds were happily accepted all around. Then came the part of the evening everyone was especially looking forward to. The time when all gathered would bestow their gifts upon the tiny prince. This event was only more anticipated when three new guests, invited but unexpected, were announced.

"Their most honored and benevolent excellencies, the three fairy sisters! Mistress Rikku of Bikanel, and Mistresses Yuna and Lulu of Besaid!"

All eyes turned to greet them, as the three tiny women flew into the room, obscured briefly by a ball of light as each one touched the floor. When the light faded, there stood three identical women, now the size of full-grown humans, each with a set of wings on their backs.

Yuna, at the front of the group, was a young woman with short brown hair. She bore one blue eye, and one green. Her wings were a delicate, transparent pink. Rikku's hair was long and blonde. She bore spiral patterns on both her irises, almost too faint to see unless seen up close, and her wings were a light shade of orange. Lulu, the last, had long black hair, and her eyes, wings, and outfit were noticeably darker than her sisters.

Cloud offered them a warm smile as they approached, motioning them to stand after they each bowed in turn.

"Fortune smiles upon us. You honor us with your visit, my ladies."

"It is our honor, sir, to be here on this most auspicious day," Yuna replied, smiling kindly back. "We wish all happiness to you, your queen, your kingdom, an-"

"Where is the little dear?" Rikku cried, beginning to rush forward before she was yanked back, restrained by her collar by Lulu. She instantly began to fuss.

"Aw! Lemme go, Lulu! I wanna go see him!"

"You have no sense of decorum," the woman said simply, shaking her head. Yuna laughed as her sister only began to whine more.

"But we came all this way!"

Cloud looked a little nervous at this, but he kept that smile, motioning them forward.

"Please, by all means, come and see him. We'd be honored to accept any gift you have to offer him."

"Yay!" As soon as Lulu released her, the hyper fairy bolted forward, almost knocking the queen and Reno out of the way. She cooed and giggled excitedly, extending a hand, which the baby slowly grabbed for. "What's his name?"

"...Sora," Queen Stella offered hesitantly, slowly regaining her smile, as she saw the energetic girl wouldn't harm her son.

People loved to say that the king and queen had named their child after the dawn, because he filled their lives, and all the kingdom, with sunshine. But sora actually meant "sky"; he brought to them a whole new world of open possibilities, and a precious hope that they would hold over them for many years to come.

"He's adorable!" Rikku cried, as her sisters slowly came to stand beside her. Yuna's smile brightened even more, as she gazed down at the little prince. Even Lulu, who seemed for the most part stalwart and reserved sister, smiled down at the baby as well.

Sora must have known he was the center of the attention, for he gurgled softly and squeezed Rikku's finger as hard as he could in his own pudgy little digits.

Yuna turned back to King Cloud, who now stood very close at hand beside his queen and King Reno.

"Now, I'm sorry to say we may only give him one gift each."

"That is more than enough," Stella replied, dipping into a small curtsy. "We appreciate anything your good magic can give us."

"I'll go first!" Rikku sang excitedly. Her sisters stepped back a few steps, as did the royal party, and the entire room was now watching, as the fairy dug through her clothes and pulled out her little white wand. She smiled down at the baby and leaned over the cradle once more.

"My little cutiepie...My gift is one of eternal beauty!" Waving the wand a bit, she chirped, "May you always be this cute!"

A short way away, Cloud paled. Queen Stella only smiled widely.

Little flickers of what looked to be sparkles drifted out from the tip of her wand, and spread down over the cradle. The little prince inside sneezed softly as a speck or two landed on his nose. Rikku giggled.

"That's all from me!"

Next came Lulu. She strode up to the cradle and knelt to gaze at the baby again, her wand already retrieved and at the ready.

"My prince...My gift is of reason, and a sharp mind. May you freely question, not merely follow, the words of others. May you always have a mind of your own, for better or worse." The same specks of magic fell upon the cradle, and once again another little sneeze was heard. The fairy smiled. "May this gift I bestow keep you smart and safe."

Cloud nodded to himself at that. A fine gift; perfect for the future king.

Finally, Yuna approached the cradle and readied her wand, but before she could even speak, there came a loud noise. Suddenly, every shutter in the castle seemed to fly open with a slam, the wind bellowed into the room like the breath of some foul, angry monster. It howled and raged, and suddenly the sky was alight with flashes of lightning.

The brunet fairy stepped back in horror as the little prince began to wail, and the queen hurried to him, lifting him out of the cradle and rocking him gently in her arms.

"Hush, little one. It's alright..."

The gathered assembly looked unsure, as they clutched at their hats and scarves, holding them against the wind. Finally, everything seemed to die down; the wind settled back to its normal speed, though the lightning still lit up the darkened sky outside. Then, a dark, misty swirl of green and black light took shape in the middle of the room, and collective gasps sounded as the mist began to shift and form...

A woman now stood in its place. Her skin was almost green, pale and sickly and clearly unnatural. She bore black and purple robes, each sleeve and hem torn and ragged, and upon her head was a headdress resembling dragon horns. Cloud could almost swear that they were real.

In her hand was clutched a long, dark-wood staff with an even paler green crystal ball crowning it, and upon that sat a large, black raven, which the woman stroke thoughtfully. Her face was expressionless, yet cold and calculating.

Everyone in the kingdom knew this woman, and they all feared her deeply.

"Ma-Maleficent!" Rikku stuttered, instantly zooming to hide behind Lulu, who merely looked on in disgust. "What does she want here?"

"My, my...What a glittering assembly we have here, King Cloud." The dry, almost bored tone echoed loudly in the room, though she barely spoked above drawl. "I do believe I see a few old friends of mine."

"We're no longer any friends of yours," Lulu said curtly, glaring openly. "You tricked my sisters and tried to draw them in with your promises of treasure, only to betray them! You murdered my Chappu with your unholy abomination!"

"Perhaps," Maleficent said nonchalantly, tilting her head just a bit with a sickening smile. "But all of that is behind us now, is it not?"

Lulu made no reply, and Rikku and Yuna made no attempt to intercede. The witched chuckled.

"You are still so naive, fairies." With a shake of her head, she turned to the king and queen. "Where are my manners? It is good to see you again, Cloud, Stella. Though I must say I really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation."

"Y-You aren't welcome here, you mean old witch!" Rikku yelled, sticking out her tongue. When Maleficent's cold gaze fell on her, she squeaked and hid further behind her sister, who only stiffened and stood taller.

"Is that so?" She looked to the squalling prince and his mother, who fought to watch Maleficent's every move and still console the infant at the same time. "Is this true, your majesties? Could you really be so cruel to a lonely old woman?"

No one spoke, whether out of fear or lack of an answer, none of the crowd could tell. They watched in fearful awe as Maleficent turned slowly on the spot and raised her hand, creating another dark, misty portal.

"You wound me. I'd best be on my way, lest I suffer further indignity."

It was in this moment that Cloud spoke up hurriedly.

"We meant no offense, lady! It simply slipped our minds, I assure you! Please stay, and...enjoy the celebration."

She turned back around, a sly smile on her lips and a strange gleam in her eyes.

"If your majesties will have me."

King Reno stood beside Cloud then, asking, "So...you got a gift for the kid, or what?" He had heard of her power, but he was not afraid.

Maleficent blinked at him briefly, then smiled again. "Of course. I would happily bestow my gift on the child, now, if there are no objections."

Rikku flew over to the queen and stood in front of her protectively. "Oh no you don't! I...I don't care if you throw lightning at me! Go ahead, throw your worst spells at me! I-I'm not letting you touch this little sweetheart!"

The witch looked unimpressed. "You think you can stop me?...Very well, try." She then raised her staff, her raven pet fluttered over to sit upon her shoulder. "Listen well, all of you," she commanded, slamming the staff down and causing a loud clash as it hit the floor.

"I will not undo what you have given." She gestured to the three hapless fairies. "The prince shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know him." Again, she slammed the staff down, before raising her hand over the orb, as it began to glow a bright green. Her eyes shown now with hatred and magic, and she gave the little prince a look that would chill the bones and blood of many men. "But he shall not live long. Before the sun sets on his sixteenth birthday, he shall prick his finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and die!"

"No!" the queen cried, cuddling the boy closer to her and turning away from Maleficent. As if she thought that would somehow protect him.

She cackled, beginning to summon the dark mist around her once more.

Cloud let out an angry cry. "Stop her! SEIZE HER!"

"You're too late!" Before the guards could even come close, a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning struck right in the middle of the room. Rikku screamed, and Maleficent cackled even as she vanished into thin air. A moment later, and the day morphed back to how it had been before. Sunny, beautiful. A truly wonderful day...

But now it was not. Queen Stella wept over her newborn son, as Cloud embraced her. Axel and Reno merely stood in shocked awe, the latter's face slowly morphing into one of solemn grief.

The crowd exchanged worried murmurs, filling the room with rumors and terrible stories, before Yuna approached the royal couple, looking between the two hesitantly.

"Is he truly doomed? There should be some sign, a visible mark upon him..." she said softly. The king and queen looked at each other, then down at their little boy. After some looking they found it. Over his little left breast, the mark of a black little heart, turned upside down.

As soon as they saw it, it vanished into the skin. There were no further blemishes on him, unnatural or otherwise.

"Oh, how can this have happened?" Stella sobbed. She clung to her wailing son desperately, as if believing that her precious baby would be taken from her at any moment. Lulu snorted.

"That witch is crafty and cruel. She has never taken any slight lightly..."

But Yuna gave them a tiny smile. "Don't despair. Please. I still have my gift to give."

Cloud's eyes snapped wide, and he met her gaze with one of desperate hope.

"Then...then you can undo this fearful curse?"

She shook her head sadly, looking almost guilty. "No, Your Majesty. I have magic enough for many things...my sisters and I...But I cannot fight Maleficent's powers. They are too great."

The king bowed his head, hopeless once more. Then Rikku spoke up. "But she can help him! You'll see!"

Yuna nodded and stepped toward the royal couple, extending her arms. The queen unfolded from her husband's arms, and fought with herself for a moment, unwilling to let go of her son for even a moment. But knowing it would help him, she sighed, finally conceding.

The brunette fairy took the child from her gently. "My prince..." she cooed softly, full-aware that the entire room was watching her eagerly.

"If you should prick your finger on a spindle that day, or any day, I give to you this ray of hope, this gift, to protect you. Not in death, but just in sleep, you will wait. You will wait for the day that your true love comes to you. Through true love's kiss, the spell shall break, and you'll be free of that witch, her schemes, her malice, and her power, forever more..."

The little sparkling dust specks of magic swirled around him, calming the baby until he quieted. Soon enough, he was asleep.

* * *

><p>AN: I basically switched Lulu and Paine. Haven't played FFX-2. I know she's in KH2, but I like Lulu, so I picked her instead. I know this seems pretty standard as far as fairytales go, but I'll try not to make it too predictable later. I have a few ideas :)

Oh, and I know I hinted at it in here, but there will be no mpreg this time around. I just said that so as to have an excuse for why Cloud is even remotely willing to consider letting his son marry a dude. lol :)


	2. Chapter 2

But even given the fairies' many assurances, Cloud was not satisfied. He feared greatly for his son's life, and so on that very day, the King decreed that every spindle in the kingdom be burned. So it was done. In the castle courtyard, every spinning wheel was brought and piled, then set aflame. Many solemn people gathered to watch as the smoke from the bonfire rose high into the sky.

Inside the castle, watching from a window, Lulu turned away with a solemn shake of her head.

"It won't be enough to stop her. That foolish man is only rushing to his grief."

Rikku looked up from where she sat nearby, polishing a little robotic contraption. "Lulu, that's not a very nice thing to say! Why do you think that?"

"Because Maleficent is nothing if not proud. She will see this as a challenge, no doubt. She'll probably kill the boy well before he reaches sixteen, or at the very least, inflict some miserable harm upon him." Lulu shook her head again. "The king doesn't understand. No one escapes her curses."

Yuna sat near the window as well, looking pensive. "There has to be something else we can do." She sighed. "Poor child..."

The blonde fairy sniffled. "How could she do something like that? It's not little Sora's fault! It was the King and Queen's! They made her angry, not him!"

"Life isn't fair, Rikku. Many people end up having to die for the mistakes of others," Lulu said solemnly. "Maleficent knows that it would hurt them most of all to lose their baby."

The blonde fairy shook her head sadly.

"But that doesn't mean we can just give up! Right? Yunnie?" Rikku looked to her sister desperately. "We can't let her hurt him!"

The brunette fairy gave a small, sad smile, nodding.

"I don't want to give up hope," she said. "I don't want the people to be sad. They were smiling just this morning...I want to...go back to that."

"Then what are we to do?"

The fairies pondered for a moment, before Rikku pipped up excitedly. "Oh, oh! I have an idea!...But we should go somewhere private to talk about it!"

Lulu and Yuna nodded. While it was true that walls didn't really have ears, who was to say the evil witch wasn't listening somewhere? Or had sent one of her spies to listen for her, somewhere?

They chose a little jewelry box, painted with swirls of pink and blue in the shapes of swans and little dancers. They opened it, shrinking down to their tiny fairy sizse and slipping inside. Aside from a few scattered pearls and pendants, there was plenty of space to walk around. Yuna made a small orb of light appear for the room, and glanced into one of the tiny mirrors on the back wall. Lulu cast a spell of silence over them, so that no ears, magical or otherwise, would hear of their plan. Rikku bounced excitedly from one foot to the other.

"I'll turn him into a robot!"

Her brunette sister blinked. "The prince?"

"Yes! That way, he can't prick his finger! And he'd be safe from Maleficent, no matter what she tried to throw at him!"

"Except maybe lightning," Lulu said, crossing her arms with a thoughtful look. She leaned against the wall mirror, shaking her head. "Or until Maleficent chose to smash him or shut him down."

The blonde wilted. "Awww...Lulu! You're not helping!"

"I'm just being practical, dear. And besides, do you think the King and Queen would like their son to be a robot for 16 years?"

"I doubt they even know what a robot is..." Rikku mumbled to herself. But she knew her sister had a point. They'd have to think of something else.

So they sat in silence, each wondering what they could possibly do to help the prince. Time passed, and Rikku and Lulu only seemed to grow more anxious and frustrated. Then, Yuna's face brightened, and the two turned to see what she'd come up with.

"Maleficent is the epitome of evil in this kingdom. She doesn't understand things like kindness or love, only that she can sometimes use them to help herself." The others nodded, gesturing her to continue. "If we helped the king and queen, then she wouldn't know what to make of it."

"I believe we established this already, Yuna," Lulu said softly. "The question is how. What can we do that she won't expect? I believe that is the key."

"Exactly!" Yuna said eagerly, clapping her hands together. "Juts picture this. What if we hid the prince away somewhere, where she would never think to look?"

Rikku blinked. "For 16 years?"

"If we were to hide the child, which I'm assuming to be your objective, how would we keep our magic hidden from the witch's detection?"

Yuna shrugged. "We'd put our wands away for a little while."

Lulu's eyes widened. "You mean...live as mortals?"

"That's what I think we should do."

"But Yuna, how would we live? We've never done anything without magic before. Not really," Rikku said quickly, hopping off of the pearl she'd been sitting on.

"We'd learn," Yuna replied calmly. "Humans can do it. Who's to say we can't?"

Lulu paused, looking thoughtful for a moment. "If we all pitched in, then we might be alright. Where are you suggesting we take him?"

"Into the forest. He'll be safe there."

"But don't a few monsters live in there?" Rikku asked hesitantly. The deeper parts of the woods could be very dangerous indeed. "You know she can command monsters!"

Yuna nodded. "But it would be safer than leaving him at the castle, where she can appear at any time and deal with him as she likes."

"You think so?"

Lulu looked up. "Perhaps...if they didn't know to look for him..."

"And we'll keep him safe and sound," Yuna said firmly. "We'll make sure he's never unprotected."

Rikku brightened excitedly at all this planning. "Wouldn't it be wonderful? We could take care of the little cutie! Ohhh, I've always wanted to try taking care of a baby!"

The black-haired fairy snorted. "Since when?"

Rikku stomped her foot. "For a while, okay?"

"I didn't know you had such fierce dreams of being a mother."

"Hey!"

Yuna laughed at them softly. Some things never changed. It was good to see that even in these dark times, they could still be so light-hearted and natural.

"First we have to tell their majesties." She sighed. "I just hope we can convince them."

Lulu came up beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Whatever happens will happen. All we can do is pose the idea and hope for the best. Ultimately I pray that the Gods watch over that child, no matter where he goes." The other two girls nodded their heads solemnly. One by one, they filed out of the little jewelry box and regained their human sizes, where Yuna promptly took their wings and gave them peasant clothes in place of their old fairy ones. She gave the wands to Lulu to keep hidden away, and together, they left to speak to the royal family.

_~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~ _~o~_______________________________

"Absolutely not."

The fairies looked up at their king with dismay, Rikku's in particular looking more pathetic and miserable than the rest.

"But your majesties-"

"No." Cloud looked over to his queen and saw her nod in agreement. "I cannot condone this plan. If something happens to Sora, and we have been without him all these years, it will be just as if we had no son to begin with."

"With all due respect, your majesty," Yuna offered quietly, "This is the safest possible thing for your son. What better protection than to be hidden, somewhere where the witch cannot find him? And you can be assured we would love and care for him just as you yourself would. He will grow up happy and free, unburdened by the stress of court life, and humble to all your subjects because of it."

Stella looked as if she might speak, but Cloud raised a hand to silence her.

"I understand your logic in this matter. We are just..." Now the king looked very sadly at his lap. "We are hesitant to give up that for which we have worked so hard. He is our son."

"I understand, your majesties. Believe me, I do." Yuna said sympathetically. Lulu took a step forward then, addressing the king and queen beside her sister. "You may enjoy your son for many years to come, but you will have longer to do so if he survives the curse. If the time has passed, and Maleficent's deed is left undone, there is nothing more she can do to hurt your son, by our law. She is bound to her word."

The royal couple considered this, and soon enough, they gravely relented to the fairies' greater wisdom. Though they would not be able to see him grow from a boy to a handsome young man, they knew that this was the best assured protection they could offer their only son. Offering a few tearful words to their newborn son, the king and queen passed the boy into Rikku's waiting arms, surrendering him to the unknown. And early into the next morning, dressed in simple peasant's clothes, the three fairies left the castle. Under cover of darkness, with only a few simple provisions, they sought the old abandoned woodcutter's cottage on the edge of the deeper woods, where they would take to caring for the little prince in secret.

And so their new lives began. They lived like mortals, raising the boy as if he were their own. To protect him further, they gave him the name 'Roxas,' and never allowed themselves or him to speak to another living soul in those woods, for 16 years...


	3. Chapter 3

"You imbeciles!" Several of the short, goblinesque henchmen ducked or dove as another bolt of lightning was thrown at them. It only seemed to miss them by a tiny hair, no matter where they scrambled. Maleficent was a powerful witch, no doubt about it. Her anger was not something to be trifled with.

"You mean to tell me the boy has gone missing?"

A taller henchmen with a quiver at his back and a bow in his hand stepped forward nervously. "That's the report, milady. No sign of the prince anywhere in or around the castle."

The witch hissed angrily, summoning another bolt to strike down upon him. He leapt back, howling in pain as the very tips of his toes were singed by the current.

"And you didn't see where he's gone? Fools!" She lashed out at every henchman in turn, the wave of pleasure she felt at every strike on target only enough to keep her from murdering them all outright. True, she could make more, but every time it was the same. That blasted recipe always seemed to make them dumber than dirt, and these ones had already proved decently useful in the past.

Still.

As her unholy rage began to calm, she glanced around cooly at them all, some hobbling, some whimpering on the ground, nursing their wounds. Any of them would be easy targets now, but she stayed her hand.

"Very well. You will go and search the kingdom for him. Check a few of the surrounding areas as well. If you return with no news of him, there will be grave consequences."

Without another word, every one of them, pained or singed or not, stood at attention and saluted her. They scrambled to leave the circular stone chamber, leaving her to sit alone with only her bird for company. She stroked his black feathered head thoughtful and sighed.

"Sometimes I wonder why I put up with them. Minions come so much more useful already made, with a few brains in them. Isn't that right, Riku?"

A boy stepped out of the shadows, silver-haired and wearing tight hues of blue, purple, and black. He faced the witch, expressionless, and simply nodded his head. She laughed.

"What's the matter boy? Do you regret your service to me?"

"No," came his cold, simple reply. Still, he had nothing much to say to her. Sometimes it was better to stay quiet, and let the witch would be content with that. He knew she liked it better for her servants not to talk back.

Even at so young an age, he was becoming just as dark and calculating as his mentor.

"Good. You have been a great use to me so far, Riku. It would be a shame to dispose of you wantonly..."

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Many years passed, and still the whereabouts of the prince remained a mystery. The kingdom waited in worried silence, looking more and more to the day when the boy would return to them. Indeed, the king and queen sat together many sad, lonely years, never knowing, always fearing. It took several years for them to smile openly again, as they once had, and it was only now, twelve years and several months to the day, that they began reaching out to their people once more. In their sullen attempts to carry on, they conceived another child.

A daughter this time, and they dared not make the mistake of ignorance again. They sent an invitation straight away to the witch, and called upon all the other fairies in the land to protect this child from any evil she could incur.

And again, the witch appeared before them. Not since that day had they seen her, and only the constant storms surrounding her fortress on the forbidden mountain could tell them her evil prophecy had not yet been fulfilled.

"Well, well," she said softly, gazing around at the horrified people around her. "What a delightfully familiar scene. I see that we are all here, except..." A quick scan of the crowd, and her eyes narrowed. "Oh my...Where are my three favorite little fairies this time?"

"They could not attend," Cloud answered, a bit too curtly for her liking. Maleficent's lip curled.

"What could be more important to them than the blessing of royal babe? All in the land are eager to attend. Surely they were invited...

...Or perhaps, you have tending to something_ more_ important?" Her eyes widened, before she smirked knowingly at them.

No one made a move to correct her, nor contradict her. But Maleficent saw the king stiffen, and the look of fear in the queen's wide eyes, as she clutched her child close to her. She cackled.

"Take comfort in your precious daughter for now, majesties."

With this last threat, she vanished in swirling mists again...

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"Roxas..."

The blonde groaned a little in his sleep and rolled over, away from the nagging voice.

"Roxas..."

He took the ends of his pillow and forced them down to crush his ears, letting his eyes crack open just a little bit in annoyance. There was nothing to do out in this forest, so why did he need to be up at this hour? Couldn't his damn chores wait?

"ROXAS!"

The boy snapped awake and threw his head up, instantly smashing it into Rikku's. His aunt was sitting on his bed, practically straddling him. How did she get there without him noticing?

"Owwwwww! You big meanie! That hurt!"

"How do you think I feel?" he growled back, rubbing the sore spot. No doubt it was already turning red on his forehead. "Can't you wake me up like a normal person?"

"Hey! I'm normal! You wouldn't get up, so what was I supposed to do?"

Hard to believe this woman was his aunt. For all the time he'd known her, Roxas was sure she looked the same age. Just about his age. It was different for Lulu, at least, who wore enough make-up to look like she was older. But this was just a thought passing through his mind, as he tried to think of something less annoying than his caretaker chatting on about what 'normal' people did.

"I swear, Roxas, sometimes you sleep like a goddamn rock!" She shook her head then, as if reminding herself to get back on topic. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Come on, sleepyhead! You've got stuff to do!"

The blonde boy yawned a little as she took his hand and began dragging him out of bed. She brought him to his dresser and began opening the drawers and going through them, much to his dismay.

"Hey! Stop that, Rikku! I can pick out my own clothes!"

"Aw!" she whined. "You used to let me do it all the time!"

"I'm not a baby anymore, okay?" Really, sometimes he thought Rikku was the only one in this house who still didn't know it.

"Pleaaaaassssee?"

"Oh, fine!" he hissed back, stalking back over to his bed and throwing himself down on it, onto his back. "Just bring them over here and I'll change. But then you have to leave!"

"Got it!" she chirped, turning back and shifting through the various clothes lying not-too-neatly folded in his dresser. "Geez, Rox, this is a mess! You can't just throw things in here all the time! It'll turn into a sty!"

Roxas sighed and shut his eyes, blissfully fading back into sleep just a bit. He was still pretty sleepy, so it wasn't all that hard either. He wanted to go back to that dream he'd been having earlier, if only he could remember more of it. Damn Rikku's wake up calls!

He vaguely remembered...it had to do with the sea. He could practically taste the salt on the air, and shuddered as the cold waves washed over his feet, the prints he'd left vanishing from the sand just behind him. How he'd gotten here was a mystery, but the sunset was so beautiful, he didn't really care. The thing he wanted to see most in his life was the ocean, but his aunts refused to let him go there alone, and they claimed it would take them too far from the forest. Roxas really didn't see it as any safer though; he'd seen many monsters in the woods before. What harm would it be to take a short trip?

Well, even if it was just in his dreams, he went there whenever possible. To that little island surrounded by glistening waves. He wondered if it was even a real place...

"ROXAS!"

The boy woke with a start only to find Rikku over him again, tickling the life out of him. He choked a laugh as her hands moved to his sides. "RIKKU! N-NO! CUT IT OU-HA!"

"Oh no you don't!" she laughed back, not pausing a second in her cruel onslaught. "You're not falling asleep on me again!"

"I WON'T! I PROMISE I W-WON'T, OKAY? HAHAHAHAHAH!"

He struggled with her for a few more minutes until they were both gasping, when she finally rolled off him onto her side and caught her breath. Roxas wanted to glare at her, but really couldn't find it in his heart right then. As much as she pestered him, as much as _any _of his aunts drove him crazy, he loved them all dearly.

"Didn't we ask you to come up here and wake him up half an hour ago?"

Roxas heard the frustrated sigh and looked up, finding Lulu in the doorway shaking her head. Rikku laughed nervously, sitting up and pushing off the bed.

"Yeah, well..._He _distracted me!"

"_Me? _I was just trying to sleep!"

"Well, you can't sleep anymore," his older aunt said firmly. "You have lessons today, and then we need you to go out and hunt for something we can eat tonight."

Roxas frowned thoughtfully as he sat up. "What are you guys going to do then?" Lulu had been the one to teach him how to hunt and efficiently take down monsters. He knew from experience that she was more than capable by herself, whereas he could still use some work.

"Yuna and I will be going to the castle town to grab some other supplies. Rikku is going to look after the house, and," she sighed, "And try not setting anything on fire this time."

"Hey! That wasn't my fault! The wires on my machina experiment shorted out!"

Roxas shook his head, remembering that incident well. Actually there were a few incidents; the worst one in particular when he was 8, when his aunt nearly burned off all his hair trying to test something on him.

"That doesn't matter. The point is you should be more responsible when left by yourself. Roxas," Lulu continued, looking to him now. "As always, you should be careful, and don't speak to anyone you see, no matter how nice or interesting they look. Strangers of all forms can be dangerous."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. I've heard it before."

Lulu narrowed her eyes. "Roxas..."

He raised his right hand in a mock pledge. "Cross my heart. I won't talk to anyone."

"Alright. Let's get on with your lessons..."

Yuna and Lulu were his primary teachers. They taught him about math and history, and even a bit of magic every once in a while. It served as extra protection for him in the woods, and sometime helped him with his chores...when it didn't backfire and just give him more work. Rikku taught him about her machina creations and used him in experiments, much to his and the others' dismay. She did, however, teach him how to cook a little bit; even as hapless as he could be, he actually ended up doing it better than she did, more often than not. It was a pretty mundane existence, with no real point to it from what he could see, but his aunts always strove to keep him busy, and answered his questions as much as possible. They did, however, forbid him from every leaving the woods, which upset him a lot as a child. There was a kingdom just outside, one he had seen many times from a distance, but he was told never to go there, or speak to anyone from there.

His lessons today consisted of a previous war the outside kingdom had fought almost a hundred years ago, and a few subsequent wars that had been fought in other kingdoms since then. After that, thankfully, he was give reign to go outside. The reason given was that journeying to the castle town took a long time, all day perhaps, so the two women would need time to get there.

"And I can't go with you?" he asked yet again, frowning when Yuna smiled gently and shook her head.

"Believe me, Roxas, we have good reasons for keeping you out of there."

"...Like?"

"I'll tell you when you're older."

The boy pouted. "That's not fair."

The brunette reached out and ruffled his blonde hair lovingly. "Maybe...but everything we do is meant to keep you safe. That's all you need to know."

Roxas raised his eyebrow. "So to keep me safe, you send me out into the woods where the monsters and dangerous animals are and tell me to kill something and bring it home to eat?"

Yuna stuttered a moment, thankful when Lulu came to her defense.

"I've taught you well enough, Roxas. It's good for you to know how to defend yourself. You can think of this as more training."

"Yeah...but what would I face at the castle town that I couldn't deal with, if you have that much faith in me here?" he asked earnestly, shrugging on the cloak Yuna had made him for his birthday. It had huge patches of different shades of blue in it, and wasn't by any means high quality, but she had certainly tried.

Lulu huffed. She walked over to him and touched his shoulder, meeting his gaze with a warm, yet still serious expression.

"Trust us, Roxas. You'll see when you're older."

He pouted again. "How much older?"

Yuna chuckled, placing a large key-shaped sword into his hand and spinning him around to face the door, gently pushing him out.

"We'll talk later. Now off with you! We need to be on our way now, and so do you!"

Roxas let himself be pushed outside, heard the cottage door shut behind him. He sighed.

"That's what you always say..."

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"It's really been twelve years, hasn't it?"

Luu silently agreed, as they walked the familiar streets of the town and saw the bustling crowds scattered everywhere about. The banners in the streets were decked out in festive colors, and people sang and danced openly on corners, proclaiming loudly that this was a joyous month. Pulling her hood down tighter over her face, Yuna approached one of them curiously.

"Excuse me, sir. We are travelers from the north." She indicated her sister and herself. "We were wondering, why have so many come to the castle town this time of year?"

The man eyed her strangely. "You mean to tell me you folks haven't heard?" They shook their heads. "Why, our beloved queen has had a baby!"

Lulu's eyes widened. "Is that true?"

"Yes, just this month! She and the king have named the new princess Namine. I haven't seen them this happy since...well," he scratched his head, "Since the prince was born."

"Did the witch curse her too?" Yuna asked nervously. The man shook his head.

"No. No one knows why. She did make a grand appearance, though. Word is she might be catching on to the prince's whereabouts."

Yuna and Lulu exchanged fearful glances. They thanked the man for his time, and hurried to gather what supplies they needed. There was no telling exactly what Maleficent knew, but one thing was certain to them.

Roxas was in even more danger now.

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A/N: Lots of stuff happened this time. For those of you who ask, Roxas will stay Roxas. He was always meant to be Roxas, but of course he needed a name change to protect his identity. He was always Roxas in essence.

And don't worry. Axel pops up again next chapter. Maybe even Riku :)


	4. Chapter 4

Roxas sighed to himself as he walked through the woods. It was nice to have some time alone, and the woods were peaceful and quiet. Not a soul around but birds and squirrels and the like. They watched him curiously from the trees as he passed.

A bird flew over and perched on one of his blonde spikes, much to his annoyance.

"Hey, my head is not a perch, thank you very much." He shooed the thing off gently with his hand. "No free rides." He was supposed to keep his hood up while wandering the forest; his aunts usually made him promise that he would, for his own safety. But they'd rushed him out of the house today with no such warning, and in truth, he rarely followed the rule in the first place. And why would he? In all his years growing up in these woods, he'd never come across anyone. Who would see him?

Besides, the day was warm. If not for his aunts insisting he wear the cloak, he would never have brought it. It was made of a thick, somewhat heavy material, better suited to winter than a warm day in the summer. He could already feel the back of his neck beginning to sweat in the heat...

Roxas was so busy thinking and looking up at the trees that he almost tripped on a squirrel running over the path. Grumbling a little, he shoved it away with his foot. "Go away."

The boy half considered drawing his hidden keyblade and killing the stupid creature, but thought better of it. It was small; there wouldn't be enough to feed more than one person, and killing for its own sake was a waste. It wasn't worth bothering. The squirrel just scampered away, and Roxas was left alone to continue on his way.

He'd been walking for a while now, and began to feel the ache in his muscles from his cumulated training, combined with the oppressive heat of midday bearing down from above. So before long, he sat down on a rock by a hearty stream to rest for a moment, and tried to think of how best to track and take down something big enough for everyone to eat.

Looking into the water longingly, he soon kicked off his boots and gingerly tested the temperature with his toe, finding it to be pleasantly cool. Sticking both his feet in, he sighed and lazily watched the ripples he'd made of the surface. There was no rush after all. His aunts were sure to be gone a while, so he could take his time.

Roxas drummed his fingers along the rock and thought for a moment.

"I think I'll swim for a little while." He privately decided to call it his bath for the day as well, even if it would barely count. He hadn't brought any soap with him, but a quick dip would be good enough for now. He could enjoy a nice relaxing swim, and clean off a bit of the dirt at the same time. Lulu had mentioned to him earlier that he needed a bath soon anyway. But then, she thought _all _boys were filthy, rambunctious little beasts who couldn't be trusted to remember anything on their own. As he got to his feet, Roxas mused that she probably would have preferred having a little girl to raise. They didn't smell nearly as bad, and she and Lulu and the others could have had girl talk and all that silly stuff. The dreaded, inevitable dressing up...

The blonde rolled his eyes. From all the time spent with his aunts, Rikku in particular, Roxas was starting to think he'd been turned off of girls forever. They just didn't appeal to him; maybe once they had, at least physically, but if all women were some variation of the same, then none of them would stand a chance for a long term relationship in his book. What it would be like to marry someone like Rikku?

Shaking his head, Roxas discarded the cloak, quickly following it with his shirt and pants. To hell with that. Because he was never allowed to leave the forest, the boy doubted he'd ever find anyone to love and settle down with. At least if he followed his guardians' rules forever. It wasn't a pleasant thought, and Roxas loved his aunts, regardless of their silly rules. But it was something to think about. Maybe someday he'd find the courage to leave them, but certainly not now...

Once that was done, the boy sighed heavily with relief; the warm sun on his back felt so nice, and wasn't nearly as hot as it had been. He slowly eased himself in, swimming deeper and deeper until the water was up to his chest. He tipped his hair back, shivering a little as the cool water ran from his hair down his neck. It felt wonderful.

"Hey!" He chucked a small rock from the bottom of the stream at another squirrel that had been straying towards his clothes. "There's no food, okay?I don't have anything! Go on, scat!"

The squirrel scurried, and the boy smirked to himself in satisfaction. He didn't dislike the small woodland animals. On the contrary, he enjoyed watching them, and remembered chasing and petting them sometimes when he was smaller. They were nosy and curious, like him, so he certainly felt a small companionship to them. Enough to keep him from killing them for food, unless bigger pickings were slim. But some animals had fleas, he'd so unfortunately discovered, and could bite or scratch too. Their cuteness was a double-sided coin; get too comfortable or too trusting, and next thing you know, you'll be nursing a nasty bite or having to rid yourself of a painful ailment with equally painful magic spells, courtesy of his aunts.

Wild animals are called wild for a reason...

After a couple minutes of peaceful silence, the boy swam around and returned to the bank, laying his head on his arms just outside of the water. He could almost fall asleep like this, it was so nice. Floating there in the stream, he couldn't feel his muscle aches. He was weightless and pleasantly cool. This little swim was just what he needed after all...

Not far off in the forest was a boy just a few years his senior. He tied his horse's reins to a branch and glanced at his friend, who was occupied with doing the same.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" his friend asked sullenly, his blue eyes pleading. "We came all this way out here. You might as well swim."

The boy shook his head. "Not a chance, Dem. You know I can't stand water."

"But why? It's fun!"

Drawing back his hood, the first boy revealed a magnificent mass of spiky red hair. Most who saw it would say it looked...regal, for lack of a better word. Unlike his father's, this boy's hair stood taller, more pointed, and all over the place. Crazy.

"Maybe to you. It's just not really my thing, you know?"

The other boy shrugged, drawing back his hood as well. Instead of red, he revealed blonde hair styled in an odd, gelled-up fashion.

"You're worse than a cat. A little water never hurt anyone."

"Drop it, Dem. I'm not going in the water. Got it memorized?"

He sighed. "Fine, fine! Don't know why I try sometimes!"

The redhead prince rolled his eyes. "Because you're a stubborn ass. You're a big, whiny, entitled, stubborn ass. And coming from _me, _that's saying something."

Demyx pouted, crossing his arms and turning away. He muttered something quietly, and the first boy raised an eyebrow.

"What was that, Dem?"

The blonde shook his head and started walking. "Nothing, Axel."

He smirked. "That's what I thought."

Admittedly, today was a nice little change up from his usual schedule. He'd never been into the forest before, not for his friend's lack of trying, but it really was nice and peaceful. Not at all like the crowded, noisy streets of town, or the semi-chaotic bustle at the castle. In his own land, Axel was used to lounging around and being given most anything he wanted. He could do as he pleased for the most part, because his brothers were closer to the throne and divided responsibilities among themselves. But his life had changed when his father had shipped him out here, to this strange land. Here, the king and queen expected him to attend meetings, banquets, public events, everything that went on in the kingdom, someone had to be present for or supervise. At least, to Axel it seemed.

But why was he shipped out here? Because his father was a coward, and too lazy to just kill him off, ridding the kingdom of one more possible upstart. Because Reno and Cloud were good friends, the latter king agreed to take the Turk's youngest son and give him a place far enough to stay out of trouble. In the absence of their own son, the king and queen treated him kindly, and doted on him almost, but he was still expected to attend things and speak with nobles and such. It was as if he was the ambassador for his country, and was expected to act accordingly. Which meant not doing anything embarrassing or below his status.

This depressed the sheltered prince. At his age, he'd been used to cavorting in taverns with one or two of his older brothers, where they'd introduced him to the concept known as barmaids. The Turk kingdom was much more liberal than this one, and so such a thing was not looked down upon. Well, it was, to some extent, but people were much more accepting of it. To boys, it was like their coming of age, learning the art to seducing barmaids or, on the rare occasion, men, if the individual preferred that. Now, Axel himself had never seduced anyone into a tryst himself. He was still too young for that, but he'd gained some experience with flirting, and he enjoyed the feeling of it, the thrill. Men suited his fancy more than women did, a trait his father had noticed in him at a young age, Reno had said. Axel himself wasn't sure if he believed it, but he knew now that voluptuous curves and colossal breasts did nothing for him. And neither did girl's silly giggles and annoying prattle.

But today, instead of attending some noble's party or being asked to speak with the blacksmith guild or some such thing, he'd been told to enjoy a day off. And he would do just that. Not in the way he really wanted to, mind you, but a relaxing ride in the woods was refreshing enough.

"How much further is it?" he asked, noticing that they had been walking for a short while. "Couldn't we have ridden the horses down here?"

"The path gets too narrow up ahead," Demyx replied, shaking his head. "Don't worry, it's just a little bit further."

"That's what you've been saying for the past ten minutes," Axel groaned, pausing as he noticed something imprinted in the dirt along the path. Moving closer, he looked down and traced the outline of a large print with his finger.

"Uh, Dem?"

The blonde stopped and looked at him almost irritably. "Yeah, what?"

"Do you know what kind of animal made this?" He was no woodsman, but at the same time, a print like this raised a few alarms in his mind.

The blonde came up beside him and looked at it thoughtfully.

"Uh...I dunno. Maybe a baby bear, or something?"

"Isn't it dangerous to be hanging out where there are possibly bears?"

Demyx chuckled. "They're probably preoccupied with their young. They wouldn't mess with people..."

Axel glared at him. "What if this is their home, and they get mad at us for trespassing near the baby? Ever think of that?"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "That's just a load of bullcrap they try to feed you at the-"

Suddenly there was a fierce roar, and the two turned to see a bear standing on its hind legs, swiping the air.

"Oh my GOD!"

"Didn't I tell you, you moron?" Axel yelled, ducking as the bear's paw just barely missed the top of his head. The two stumbled off to a run down the path, one cursing loudly while the other screamed like a toddler.

"I don't wanna die! I don't wanna dieeeeeee!"

'Then run!" Axel snarled, glancing back to see the bear following close behind, its eyes looking possessed with rage. "Shit!"

Finally they stumbled, Axel knocking into Demyx, who had stopped just at the edge of a small pool. With a grunt, both boys fell in, and as he resurfaced, Axel heard an indignant yelp.

"What the hell?"

Opening his eyes, he caught sight of another blonde in the water with him. His hair was much spiker than Demyx's, all done up the side of his head. His eyes were much bluer too. They were wide and angry, and as the boy quickly turned away from him, Axel realized the boy was naked.

"Who the hell are you? Get out!"

A smirk slowly working its way onto his face, the redhead slicked his hair back a little with the water and swam over. He quickly decided that this kid was outrageously cute.

"Well, heeeellllo-"

_Roar._

Oh yeah. That.


	5. Chapter 5

The long-overdue update. Sorry about the delay :'(

Roxas jumped as a bear crashed through the clearing. Forgetting about the perverted idiot he'd been snapping at, the blonde shot from the water, not caring as he quickly tugged on his pants. They'd be damp, but it was better than not wearing anything, especially with creepy guys like these around.

The blonde man following the red-haired idiot shrieked as he dodged a swipe from the bear's claws.

"Axel, do something!" He stumbled a little as he ran, the thing right at his heels.

"What do you want me to do?" From the looks of him, Roxas guessed he had no weapons. What an idiot.

"Move!" Keyblade in hand, the blonde let out a cry and charged the rampaging bear. It wasn't fully grown, thankfully, or he'd never be able to get it home after.

Rikku wasn't fond of bear meat; too greasy, she always said. But it would feed them for a while, and Lulu would surely be impressed.

With as much force as he could muster, he slammed the blade between its haunches, cutting through flesh and fur with little effort. The monster roared again, turning on him with cold, furious eyes.

Drawing back his sword and ducking to avoid the large paw moving to strike, Roxas rolled to the side and struck at the left ankle. He was sure that part of the bone had shattered.

As the bear came down, it practically fell on top of him, struggling weakly to slash and claw and smother. It took the wind right out of the boy, but he managed to avoid anything breaking on the impact. It was a terrible strain, but he fought back. Without his training with Lulu, he was sure his bones would have been crushed beyond repair.

The little blonde wrestled with it, wincing as he was scratched. The stones of stream's bed were digging into his back and arms as he struggled to roll the thing over, and he had to be careful to keep the keyblade from getting pinned against him, lest he cut something important.

The bear roared again as a small rock smacked it across the nose. Daring to look up, Roxas saw the blonde from before picking up rocks from the ground and pelting the monster with them. The redhead just stood there, seemingly dumbfounded by the scene.

"I could use a little help!" Roxas growled, feeling crushed almost to the point of suffocation.

"I'm doing what I can!" the blonde yelled back, shooting a frantic look at his friend. "Hello! Axel! Wake up, man, we need you!"

Axel blinked. "Uh, right!" He rushed over to a nearby tree, tugging at one of the branches. Roxas rolled his eyes, then gasped as he felt the bear's shoulder smash painfully against his chest. He had to get this thing off of him before it could do lasting damage.

In the struggle, the bear slammed its head back against his, and in a painful instant, all went black...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Opening his eyes, Roxas found himself in a sunny field, lying in a small cluster of flowers. He sat up slowly, rubbing his head and looking around with mild confusion.

"What...happened to me?"

He didn't recognize anything around. He had never seen much of the land beyond the forest, and there were no trees here. Just grass and flowers and unyielding sunshine.

A soft giggle from behind startled him. Roxas spun around, only to find more empty field.

"Who's there?"

The giggle came again, this time from his right.

_"Wouldn't you like to know?"_ It was a girl's voice, soft and sing-song. But it was so bright, he couldn't see her at all.

Getting to his feet slowly, the boy frowned at her. He could see nothing but bright sunlight, but he was sure she was there somewhere.

"This isn't funny, whoever you are. I didn't come here to play games."

The glowing figure was suddenly close on his right, the bright outline tilting its head ever so slightly.

_"Then what did you come here for?" _she asked softly, curious.

Roxas opened his mouth to answer, but froze. He saw the faint outline of a growing smile on the girl's face, and the tiniest glint of blue eyes.

"What is this place?" he asked, glancing slowly around again. A gentle wind rustled the flowers, tangling them in the tall grass. In the distance he could see a glittering line of blue. A river maybe?

_"A nice place," _she returned simply, tilting her head further this time. _"You came here to meet him, didn't you?"_

"Who is 'him?' the blonde asked, his frown growing. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

Another soft giggle. _"You don't know? But you came here all on your own..."_

"Where is 'here?'" he demanded impatiently, reaching out quickly. As his hand closed around her glowing wrist, she suddenly vanished in a flash, thousands of tiny balls of light erupting from her voice whole form. They drifted lazily into the grass below, as he haunting giggle echoed in his head. "Come back! Answer me!"

_"You will be the perfect moon to his sun..."_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Kid! Wake up! Oh God, please wake up!"

"Maybe he needs water! I-I'll go get some!" As he stirred, Roxas heard hurried footsteps fading away from him, then a splash of water.

"He's waking up! Dem, hurry up with that water!" A warm hand patted his cheek slightly. "Breathe easy, kid. We've got you."

Blinking his hazy eyes, the boy saw a strange, jagged red shape hovering over him. Think that the bear might still be alive and kicking, he curled his left hand into a fist and rammed it right into the center of that shape, knocking it away from him.

He shot up quickly when he heard it yowl, blinking as the red shape grew more distinct.

"Owh God! Yu little brat, nyu broke my nose!" Roxas frowned when he saw that it was the man from before. He was holding his face and groaning, spluttering when the other man chucked the water he'd retrieved at his face. Instantly he was as soaked as Roxas was.

"Nemyx! Oose side are yu on?"

"S-Sorry! I thought it would help!" Turning from his glaring friend, Demyx offered a weak smile at Roxas. "I'm glad you're okay. Thank you so much for helping us."

Scoffing, the smaller blonde brushed himself off and stood shakily. "What kind of moron wanders these woods without a weapon? You two are lucky you weren't killed."

Axel glared at him now, pointing an accusing finger with the hand not staunching the blood flow from his nose.

"Wee could say the same for yu!" The blonde almost laughed at his nasal tone. "If wee adn't been ther, yu'd ave died!"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Remembering that these two men were strangers, the blonde turned serious. He needed to get home soon, or his aunts would scold him.

Looking around, the boy quickly located the fallen bear. Ignoring the questions from the irritated redhead, he pulled the rest of his clothes on and casually sat beside the dead animal. Using his keyblade, he slowly but efficiently began cutting away the meat into smaller, easier to carry pieces.

"Wat the ell are nyu doing now?"

Rolling his eyes, Roxas continued his work. When he had as much of it as he could carry, he bundled the bloody meat, tying the small packages to his keyblade and swinging the sword over his shoulder. The blunt edge dug a little into one of his bruises, but he shrugged it off with the barest wince.

He looked a lot worse for wear, and that swim had been completely pointless, but he could go home now.

"Ey! 'm talking to yu!"

Drawing his hood over his head, he cast one more glare at the two strangers. Then, in an instant, he vanished into the trees.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Looking blankly at the place the boy had once been standing, Demyx shook his head.

"Strange kid. Do you think he lives here?"

Axel growled. "Like I care! Brat can't even be gratful for us elping im!"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "You're just pouting because he saved your pathetic ass, then beat you up for being a wuss."

"Yur the woos!"

Ignoring him, Demyx sighed and looked to the little stream.

"Whatever you say, my prince." With a smile, he added, "I'm still going swimming. You might want to take care of that nose soon." With that, he stripped and jumped into the water, causing some to rise up and splash his moping friend.

As his friend was goofing around in the water, Axel swore revenge on the little brat for making a fool of him. Cute or not, no one treated the prince like that.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yuna and Lulu rushed home and told Rikku the news. Frantic with worry, they only had a moment to put out the fire the blonde fairy had started while trying to rewire one of her toys, before they were racing out the door. Everything else could wait.

"I'll search the glen!" Yuna assured them. "Lulu, you go the-"

"Wait! There he is!" Rikku pointed to a small, blue dot approaching from the distant trees. In moments, Roxas was walking towards them, waving his keyblade triumphantly.

Yuna sighed, clasping her hands in relief. "He's safe."

Lulu squinted as he approached, frowning. As he came to them, Rikku ran forward and drew him into a tight hug, knocking the wind right back out of the poor boy.

"Roxy! We were so worried about you! Where did you go?"

Rolling his eyes, he answered, "Where you told me to go? You sent me out to find food this morning."

"Oh...right..."

Holding up the stained packages, the blonde smiled. "I killed a bear today. It wasn't fully grown, but this should keep us happy for a while, right?"

His aunt's face scrunched up. "Ewww, bear meat? Why do you want to torment me, Roxas? You trying to starve your poor aunt?"

He sighed. "No, Rikku. This was what I could find." He looked up when the other fairies came closer, looking at him with shock.

"Roxas, you're a mess!" Yuna gasped, taking in the visible skin that was purpling, the fresh scratches on his arms and face. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I'm fine. It fell on me when we were fighting. But it was so cool! You should have seen-"

"Tell us more later, Roxas. Let's get you cleaned up," Lulu said shortly, ushering him inside with her sisters. Disregarding the sad look on the boy's face, the fairy kept a weather eye on the sky, looking for any spy the mistress of all evil might have sent to find them. Her mind raced with feelings of dread and worry, though her face was the picture of calm. She had to be the sensible one, even more so now that this threat had worsened.

She barely missed the faint glimmer of silver hair, and two teal eyes following them from the trees...


	6. Chapter 6

"You can't be serious." Roxas studied each of their faces for a moment. One pained, one guilty, and one resolved, cool and hard as stone. "You are."

"It's for your own good," Lulu replied calmly. "You are not to leave without one of us accompanying you."

"But that's not fair!"

Rikku opened her mouth to speak, but Yuna met her eyes and shook her head. The two of them looked to their sister, who didn't falter in the least.

"This isn't about fairness. You are our responsibility, and we are going to keep you safe."

"You're going to keep me in a cage!" His chest and shoulders were brutally tense, as he clenched his fists and glared at the floor. His eyes burned with blue fire, like a hellish ocean. "Will you at least tell me why?"

"No."

His knuckles were near white by now. "How about how long?"

"As long as we deem it necessary."

"That's not good enough!" he shouted back, raising his head and marching right up to her. "Why don't you trust me? Why don't _any _of you goddamn trust me?!"

"We do, sweetie," Yuna chimed in finally, trying her best not to undermine Lulu. "We love and trust you very much. It's just that-"

"No!" His head snapped to her, and he saw her eyes widen. He didn't care at all, though. "I don't want more excuses! I want to know what is so damn dangerous about me meeting anyone, going anywhere? If you really trusted me, you'd take me with you! You'd let me talk to people, not just walk in the woods with my head down!"

"Roxas, you don't understand!"

"What is the point of fighting, learning defense, all these things, but never let me take it anywhere?" His eyes moved back to meet Lulu's. "Am I just going to die here? Just be your pet until I'm old and grey, or will you get bored of me and finally put me out of my misery?"

Lulu's eyes flashed. That was all the warning he received before she struck him hard on the cheek, forcing his head to snap to the side.

Yuna and Rikku gasped. Their hesitance faded for a moment, but a glance from their older sister quieted them again quickly.

The boy slowly lifted a hand and felt the hot, red mark forming.

"You will never speak to any one of us that way ever again. Do you understand me, Roxas?"

Burning blue eyes glistened with unshed tears as he turned to look back at her.

"I hate you."

Lulu's frown deepened, but before she could do or say more, Roxas spun on his heel and stomped loudly and quickly up to his room.

"Roxas! Get back here this instant!"

He glared over his shoulder at her, and a few tears slipped from his eyes. "No." His voice was deadly calm somehow.

"I mean it, Roxas! Get down here right now!"

He reached his room and slammed the door as hard as he could, harshly latching the bolt in place. He had never locked his room before.

"You may as well go straight to bed then!" Lulu called again. "You won't get any supper tonight!"

"I don't care!" he shouted back, shoving a few clothes and things from his drawers into a small satchel. He swung it over his back, doused the small light, and quickly fetched up his keyblade, which he had fortunately not returned after he'd come home.

"Don't bet on any breakfast either!"

"I DON'T CARE!"

He opened the window and looked out into the slowly darkening night. The forest was calm, soothed by the sounds of crickets and owls.

He waited a few moments, until all had quieted downstairs, then hooked his keyblade to the sill and swung down to the ground, his moves as graceful as a cat.

His bruises were still pretty fresh, and they throbbed and groaned as he moved, but he walked briskly to the woods, lighting his little lantern as soon as he was sure he was out of sight of the cottage.

More tears fell from his eyes as he walked, though his eyes were narrow and just as angry as before. He stormed through the cool night, not knowing where he was or where he was going. He just knew he couldn't stay there anymore.

After what felt like hours, he reached a clearing. He could see the moon and stars in the large gap between the bordering tree tops. A large, lone tree stood right in the middle, and he walked to it, happy to have a place to rest. The adrenaline in him was about to burst, boiling just beneath the skin and screaming, even though he just couldn't go on anymore.

It flowed out of him like a stream, leaving only a hollow sadness, a helpless hopelessness inside him. Roxas rested his back against the tree and slid down it, finally letting out his sobs.

The blonde cradled his cheek and pounded his fist a few times on the roots, letting his voice out loudly until it had no more power in it. Sobs faded away into quiet whimpers; anger drained away into a dull throb. Anger at his aunts, at himself, at everything that kept him from dreaming.

From really living.

"Are you alright?"

Roxas gasped, looking up to find a person he hadn't sensed. Through his fading light and the light the man carried, he saw it was the redhead from earlier.

He wanted to snap and yell and run away, but exhaustion and sheer humiliation rooted him to the spot. No one was supposed to see him this way. Not weak, red-faced, and trembling like a newborn.

"S-Stay away!" he managed, shrinking back into the trunk as the man knelt beside him.

"Easy! I mean you no harm." The man...no, boy, leaned closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't mean to frighten you. Are you alright?" he asked again.

"I-I...No," he admitted slowly, still holding his cheek in one hand. He lowered his head and shook it lightly. "You're...that guy from earlier, aren't you?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. But yes. My name is Axel." Strangely, he didn't sound cocky or angry or anything but concerned. Bright green eyes scanned him critically, and Roxas shied away even more. "Why are you crying?"

"H-How did you find me?" the blonde asked. Axel raised a thin red eyebrow.

"Still evasive, I see...Well, it was the strangest thing. I left my party for only a moment, and this odd little squirrel came up to me. It acted very strangely, like it was trying to point me somewhere. I followed it near here, but I lost sight of it just a few moments ago. That is when I heard you, yelling and crying."

Roxas blushed deeply. "A squirrel, did you say?"

"Yep. It kept tugging on my pant leg and running in circles." The redhead shrugged, turning so he could sit beside the other boy. "I don't understand this forest."

"It is an odd place," the younger boy admitted. "Magical in some places." As he calmed a little, he wiped his eyes and smiled up at the stars and tree tops. "Very beautiful, though."

"Yeah. It is." Axel rubbed the back of his head. "When it isn't trying to kill you."

Roxas laughed a little. "I'm pretty used to it now." He looked to his keyblade, feeling the other boy's gaze follow his. "I've lived here all my life."

"I sort of assumed as much, but I almost can't believe it. No one lives here."

"Why not?" he asked, as he looked at the redhead curiously.

"A lot of people think it's cursed. At the very least, they don't want to deal with the monsters until it's safer. Some people do travel through it from time to time, though. I never have, before today, but most of my companions are pretty brash. They treat this place like a trial of courage." He snorted at that. "Like a bunch of boys.

Dem said he comes here a lot, but for the life of me, I can't figure out why. He's the biggest chicken I know." Axel looked very interested then. "So, why did your folks move here? Do you know?"

The younger boy scowled a bit. "No idea. And my parents are dead."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

Roxas waved it off. "It's okay. I never knew them. My aunts have been looking after me ever since I was a baby. They were the ones who decided to live here, I guess."

"Just you and some women? They must be pretty good warriors to make it out here."

"I'm not sure they're warriors. I've never seen them fight..." He shook his head to clear away the image of Lulu, Rikku, and Yuna in battle armor, smiling a little as he did. They could probably just nag their enemies to death. Rikku could talk their ears off too...

But what if they really were warriors? He didn't know anything about them, beyond a few hobbies, personality quirks, and the fact that they had raised him. What did that really amount to?

What had they done before he'd come along?

"They did teach me things, though." His smile faded then, and he sighed. "Tonight I had a fight with them, and I ran away."

Axel blinked briefly.

"Must have been bad to make you run out here all alone."

Roxas nodded. "They've always told me not to speak to strangers. That was why I just sort of left earlier...Well, that and you were being an asshole."

The redhead scoffed for a second, but seemed to think better of it. "So they were mad that you met some strangers and talked to them?" he asked, forcing a smile slightly.

The other boy rolled his eyes, then looked at his knees. "No, they still don't know about that. I've never been allowed to speak to strangers. I could never leave the woods, either, and my aunts said I should cover my head and face as much as I can when I have to go out to more open areas.

For some reason, ever since I returned, they've been acting strange! And tonight they told me I can't even leave home without one of them going with me! Can you believe that?"

"It does seem kind of strict, but this forest is a pretty dangerous place, most people say. They're probably worried about you. Maybe they're just taking it a bit too far."

Roxas bit back a pithy comment and shifted his stare to the grass, further away from his new friend.

Wait...friend?

He'd never had a friend before, let alone talked to anyone other than his aunts. He had seen some others pass through the woods before, but he was much younger then, and not daring enough to approach them, no matter how curious.

Roxas blinked, then blushed a little again.

"I guess you're right...but-"

"Running away won't solve your problems. I think you're right to be mad, but acting like a kid isn't going to make them take you seriously. If anything, they'll probably be even more worried, and get stricter."

They did love him. He knew they did, but...

Home shouldn't make him feel trapped. Or afraid.

"Why did she do it?" he whispered. His fingers brushed his cheek, not feeling remnants of the hot mark anymore. But he knew it was there. He could feel it in his face, beneath the skin.

"Come again?"

"If she loves me so much, why did she hit me?" he cried suddenly, blinking into startled green eyes.

Before he knew what was happening, Roxas was throwing himself into the redhead.

"Gah! What the hell?" Roxas could feel the boy shaking a bit, confused, but he could't do much as more tears fell and burned at his eyes.

"All I wanted was an answer...Just for her to explain why she's doing this to me...All of this," he whispered, as his new friend slowly stilled. "But she hit me...She never hit me before..."

The redhead didn't say anything. Roxas had no idea what he was thinking at all, but he felt so infinitely grateful when lean arms wrapped around him, embracing him warmly as he cried.

It made him cry harder.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

In the end, he only let Axel help him home half the way.

The older boy was much nicer than he'd initially seemed, but Roxas was still a bit wary, and hesitant to put himself or his family in danger. So he'd left the redhead some distance away, with only his name and the unspoken promise that they would meet again.

The blonde had almost reached the cottage, when an entirely new voice called to him from behind a nearby tree.

"You're going to go back to them?"

More startled than ever, the boy spun around and held his keyblade in front of himself defensively.

"W-Who's there?"

A cool chuckle answered him, and a dark, hooded figure, only a little taller than him, stepped out into the dim light. He couldn't see a face, but the voice emanating from the boy was clear enough.

"I could be your greatest ally," he replied smoothly. "Or, your worst nightmare. Which will it be?"

"I don't understand." This was like an inverted, darker version of his dream from earlier that day. It made him feel much more than uneasy.

"Perhaps you won't. Even if I did explain now, you'd probably just be terribly lost." The voice seemed to grin then. "And here I thought Lulu had made you sharp."

"How do you know my aunt?" he demanded, taking a step back. He almost didn't notice a light appearing in the cottage behind him. "Stop speaking in damn riddles, and just tell me what it is you want!"

The figure shrugged. "I was interested to know why you would willingly return to such a stifling, unfulfilling life. If you had stayed away, even gone with that redheaded little whelp, you could have sought out what you've always wanted."

Shaking his head a bit, Roxas glared at him. "You're lying."

"It's obvious. One look at your face, and I can see it all. You want adventure, excitement, friends. A family that wouldn't dream of ever raising a hand against you."

"Shut up! You don't know anything!"

"Roxas!"

As he raised his keyblade, the door to the cottage burst open.

The figure in front of him disappeared like windswept dust, and he turned to see two of his aunts rushing out to meet him, racing through their large garden without a care.

"What are you doing outside?" Yuna asked worriedly, grabbing his shoulders and shaking them slightly.

"We were worried sick when we found your room empty!" Rikku added, checking his clothes and tugging at them. "How long have you been gone?"

He opened his mouth to speak, still thinking on his two encounters that night, when he caught sight of Lulu coming up behind her sisters.

She said nothing, but when she moved to touch his face, he shrank back, out of Yuna's hold.

"Roxas?"

Unconsciously, he touched his cheek again, shoulders hunching forward. He half-expected her to hit him again, and while he wanted to seem cool, strong, and grown up, he just couldn't force it. The unreadable look in her eyes was almost as terrifying as the flare of anger he had seen earlier.

He hadn't wanted to admit it, but that mysterious stranger had made a good point. Several in fact.

They stood that way, in silence, for a moment. The blonde held his aunt's gaze, although meekly.

Finally, Lulu sighed, relaxing her shoulders and softening her gaze.

Roxas ran to her, and quickly found himself enfolded in three different pairs of arms. But the warm body he felt immediately was Lulu's, and he rested his head on her chest as he felt yet more tears coming. What was the matter with him?

Rikku and Yuna cooed soft assurances, even some apologies. So many words.

Lulu had none, but he felt her feelings the strongest. He had never felt so connected with her before; never so sure of her thoughts and feelings.

His uneasiness was completely forgotten.

When the little family finally pulled apart, it was even later. Terribly late.

"Come on," his calmest aunt said then, guiding him back to the house with an arm around his shoulder. "It'll be cold, but there is some supper left for you after all."

"I'll get a doohicky to heat it up!" Rikku sprinted to the house, almost bounding like a deer. "It'll be nice and hot in a jiffy!"

"I'll go put away everything flammable," Yuna said with a chuckle, giving the two one last sweet look before she hurried inside. She was much less animated than her bubbly blonde sister, and probably the easiest to talk to of all his aunts.

Roxas looked up at Lulu and smiled warmly, and she smiled back, tousling his hair.

"Sometimes I forget that you're not so little anymore. But be that as it may, you should still heed us well, young man. There is much you don't know yet, and we don't want to see anything bad happen to you." Her chiding was much gentler now, but still there.

The boy sighed. "I understand."

But still...


End file.
